DRM on USB-C is just an extension of attempts to change the business model of consumer electronics from ownership to rental. Planned obsolescence and locked down operating systems wasn't enough. Now they want to lock down the accessory ecosystem as well. And it all comes straight out of the consumer's pocket, because more power for vendors means less power for you.

@ajroach42 Dunno, and I'm not sure I want a cellphone *at all*, even a Linux-based one. Though at least you won't have so many apps tracking your location on their phone; adversaries will need to resort to security holes or multilateration, which ideally is only accessible to carriers.

@ajroach42 I've been easing into it for a while, and I have to say not being able to just pull out my phone when I'm bored seems to have dramatically improved my ability to... well, not need to do that.

I have a dedicated nav unit that supports FM traffic, a Kobo e-reader for books, articles, and comics, and a Sansa Clip Zip for music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The only thing I'm missing now is an effective contact mechanism.

@ajroach42 I have the POCSAG pager, but I want to be able to respond from the same number to avoid making people jump through hoops, which means a bot (which I could probably finish in an afternoon if I could focus on it) or breaking down and spending almost as much for a 2-way pager as I do for the Calyx hotspot.

@vfrmedia@ajroach42 A nationwide network operated by American Messaging. There are only two nationwide POCSAG networks left in the US IIUC, and the other seems much more focused on hospitals. And AFAICT only one two-way paging network, the one operated by Spok AKA USA Mobility.

It's nice to be able to piggyback on others' mission critical messaging systems.